High density location-based service zone management for a geographic region

ABSTRACT

Disclosed are various embodiments for managing which location-based service zones to monitor when the number location-based service zones within a geographic region exceed the amount the device can support. An active zone defining a geographic region and location-based service zones within the geographic region is provided by another computing device. When the number of location-based service zones meets or exceeds a predefined threshold, a subset of the location-based service zones is selected for monitoring according to a current device location and/or other parameters.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation of co-pending U.S. utilityapplication entitled, “High Density Location-Based Service ZoneManagement for a Geographic Region,” having Ser. No. 15/670,430, filedAug. 7, 2017, which is entirely incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND

Geographic fences, or “geofences,” and beacons can be used for marketingpurposes with respect to location-based services. For example, geofencescan be used to provide notifications to a mobile device when the mobiledevice enters a geographic region defined by the boundaries of ageofence. Likewise, when a mobile device is physically close to a beaconbroadcasting a wireless signal, the mobile device can receive thebroadcasted signal and a notification may be triggered. Thenotifications associated with geofences and/or beacons may relate to thelocation-based services.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Many aspects of the present disclosure can be better understood withreference to the following drawings. The components in the drawings arenot necessarily to scale, with emphasis instead being placed uponclearly illustrating the principles of the disclosure. Moreover, in thedrawings, like reference numerals designate corresponding partsthroughout the several views.

FIG. 1 is a drawing depicting an example scenario in which a clientdevice selects a subset of location-based service zones to monitorwithin a provided active zone according to various embodiments of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram of a networked environment accordingto various embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating one example of functionalityimplemented as portions of an active zone filter application executed ina client device in the networked environment of FIG. 2 according tovarious embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating one example of functionalityimplemented as portions of an active zone filter application executed ina client device in the networked environment of FIG. 2 according tovarious embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating one example of functionalityimplemented as portions of an active zone filter application executed ina client device in the networked environment of FIG. 2 according tovarious embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 6 is a schematic block diagram that provides one exampleillustration of a computing environment employed in the networkedenvironment of FIG. 2 according to various embodiments of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 7 is a schematic block diagram that provides one exampleillustration of a client device employed in the networked environment ofFIG. 2 according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present disclosure relates to various systems and methods formanaging location-based service zones (e.g., geofences, beacons, etc.)being monitored by a client device. Some embodiments of the presentdisclosure relate to receiving a comprehensive set of location-basedservice zones within a dynamically sized region surrounding a userdevice and dynamically filtering the location-based service zones todetermine a subset of the location-based service zones within thedynamically sized region to monitor. The filtering may be based on avariety of factors such as, for example, device limitations, currentlocation, previously monitored location-based service zones, devicespeed, device direction, user interaction history, aggregate userinteraction history, etc.

Examples of location-based service zones include geographic fences(“geofences”) and beacons. A geofence can be defined as a virtualgeographic boundary, such as the combination of a geographic coordinateand a radius. For example, a geofence may define an area in which a usermay experience a location-based service associated with a particularprovider. The geofenced area can be formed or defined by a virtualperimeter surrounding the area corresponding to the particularlocation-based service that a user may want to experience. An interiorarea of a geofence may be any suitable size and any suitable shape. Thevirtual perimeter can correspond to a two-dimensional or athree-dimensional perimeter. For example, if the provider relates to adelivery service, a two-dimensional perimeter can include an areacentered on the delivery location, while a three-dimensional perimetermay include a height or altitude of the delivery location. As anotherexample, a three-dimensional perimeter may use height or altitude inorder to situate the geofence on a particular floor or suite of abuilding.

A beacon may include a device configured to broadcast a wireless signal.Using the example of the delivery service, a provider device may includea beacon that broadcasts a wireless signal related to the location ofthe provider device. When a user device is within a proximity of abeacon, the user device can receive the wireless signal, therebytriggering an event notification associated with the beacon (e.g.,displaying a message, notifying the provider device of proximatelocation, etc.).

Providers of services (e.g., mobile store, mobile delivery service,brick-and-mortar store, etc.) may create location-based service zones toinitiate user experiences relative to the services. In one non-limitingexample, a provider may be associated with a merchant selling items atmobile delivery locations. Each delivery location may be associated witha respective location-based service zone. For example, when the merchantis selling the items at location A, a geofence may be created thatdefines a boundary surrounding the merchant location. When a user devicethat is monitoring the geofence crosses the boundary defined by thegeofence, the client device may recognize the geofence and performactions associated with the geofence (e.g., display message includingmerchant location, send notification to provider to prepare items forpickup, etc.).

One embodiment of the present disclosure relates to selecting a subsetof location-based service zones to monitor within an active zone whenthe number of location-based service zones exceeds limitations of aclient device that limit the number of location-based service zones theclient device can monitor. An active zone is a dynamically sizedgeographic area that contains a comprehensive set of location-basedservice zones and is created by a server computing device. A clientdevice can receive the active zone containing the location-based servicezones from an active zone management system and monitor thelocation-service zones included in the active zone. When the number oflocation-based service zones within a particular active zone exceeds thelimitations of the client device, the client device can select a subsetof the location-based service zones within the active zone to monitor.Accordingly, the subset of the location-based service zones is aselection of a portion of the location-based service zones that wereincluded in the active zone provided by the server computing device.

For example, different types of client devices may have limitations asto the number of location-based service zones the client device cansupport. The client device limitations may be imposed by the clientdevice in order to optimize power usage, memory usage, and/or processorusage of the client device. In some embodiments, the client device mayapply a set of filtering rules, analyze the different location-basedservice zones within the active zone, and select a subset of thelocation-based service zones based on factors such as, for example, acurrent location of the client device, recently broken location-basedservice zones being monitored by the client device (e.g., exiting orentering a location-based service zone), device speed, device direction,user interaction history, aggregate user interaction history, and/or anyother factor as can be appreciated.

FIG. 1 is a drawing depicting an example scenario showing a subset oflocation-based service zones 100 within an active zone 103 that arebeing monitored by a client device 106 according to various embodimentsof the present disclosure. In this example, the client device 106corresponds to a handheld mobile device (e.g., a tablet, a smartphone,etc.). The location-based service zones 100 can comprise geofences 109(e.g., 109 a, 109 b, 109 c, 109 d, 109 e), beacons 112 (e.g., 112 a, 112b, 112 c, 112 d), and/or any other types of location-based service zones100 as can be appreciated.

The active zone 103 is created by the active zone management system 115being executed on at least one computing device 118 according to atleast a location of the client device 106. An active zone 103 is createdto encompass the client device location according to a predefinedradius. For example, in some embodiments, the active zone 103 may becreated having a center at the location of the client device 106 and aradius of some predetermined value (e.g., 1 kilometer (km), 5 km, 25 km,etc.). Once the active zone 103 is created, location-based service zones100 within the active zone 103 may be identified. In some embodiments,the radius has a minimum predefined value (e.g., 1 km, 3 km). Thisminimum predefined value may be based on device limitations, designchoice, precision capabilities for identifying location-based servicezones, and/or any other factor as can be appreciated.

The active zone management system 115 may create an active zone 103 andtransmit active zone data 117 (e.g., geographic parameters,location-based service zone parameters, etc.) to the active zone filterapplication 124 being executed on the client device 106. The active zone103 can be created with respect to a client device location 127. Theclient device location 127 can be determined and/or estimated accordingto coordinates provided by the client device 106, location-based servicezone entry and/or exit history, and/or any other way of determiningand/or estimating a device location 127.

In some embodiments, the client device 106 may request an active zone103 from the computing device 118. In other embodiments, the active zonemanagement system 115 may send an active zone 103 to the client device106 without a request from the client device 106. For example, theactive zone management system 115 may generate and send an active zone103 to the client device 106 periodically. In another example, theactive zone management system 115 may send an active zone 103 to theclient device upon detection of an exit from a previously monitoredactive zone 103. The exit from a previously monitored active zone 103can be determined according to a device location 127 being received fromthe client device 106, a trigger notification received from the clientdevice 106 indicating that the client device 106 has exited thegeographic region defining the active zone 103, and/or any other factoras can be appreciated.

Upon creation of the active zone 103, the active zone management system115 transmits active zone data 117 to the client device 106. The activezone data 117 includes the data associated with an active zone 103created for the client device 106 and by the active zone managementsystem 115. The active zone data 117 may include geofence parameters 230(FIG. 2), beacon parameters 233 (FIG. 2), aggregate interaction data 215(FIG. 2), and/or any other type of data that can be appreciated.

In some embodiments, the active zone data 117 includes parameters for aquantity of location-based service zones 100 that exceeds a devicesupported threshold. The device supported threshold may be definedaccording to client device limitations that may be imposed by the clientdevice 106 in order to optimize power usage, memory usage, and/orprocessor usage of the client device 106. For example, a particularclient device 106 may only be able to monitor fifty (50) location-basedservice zones 100 at a given time. As such, if the active zone 103provided by the active zone management system 115 includes a quantity oflocation-based service zones 100 that exceeds the quantity supported bythe client device 106, the number of location-based service zones 100within the provided active zone 103 will need to be reduced formonitoring.

When the quantity of location-based service zones 100 exceeds apredefined threshold, the active zone filter application 124 can selecta subset of location-based service zones 100 to be monitored. Forexample, in FIG. 1, the active zone 103 includes multiple geofences 109and multiple beacons 112. However, only a subset of geofences 109 andbeacons 112 are being monitored (e.g., 109 a, 109 b, 109 c, 112 a, 112b). These geofences 109 and beacons 112 are defined by solid lines whilethe geofences 109 and beacons 112 that are not being monitored (e.g.,109 d, 109 e, 112 c, 112 d) are defined by dashed lines.

The active zone filter application 124 may select the subset oflocation-based service zones 100 according to factors, including, forexample, current location of the client device 106, location-basedservice zones recently entered into or exited by the client device 106,device speed, device direction, user interaction history, aggregate userinteraction history, and/or any other factor as can be appreciated.Using the example of FIG. 1, the active zone filter application 124 hasselected a group of location-based service zones 100 that are clusteredin the same general area of the active zone 103. In this example, thesubset of location-based service zones 100 may be determined accordingto their respective proximity to the client device 106 and/or thedirection and/or speed of movement of the client device 106.

In some embodiments, the active zone filter application 124 maydetermine that the subset of location-based service zones 100 needs tobe updated. For example, the active zone filter application 124 maydetermine that the client device location 127 has changed such that oneor all of the location-based service zones 100 are no longer preferredwith respect to the other location-based service zones 100 within theactive zone 103 that are not being monitored. As such, the active zonefilter application 124 may re-evaluate the location-based service zones100 and generate a new subset of location-based service zones 100 withinthe active zone 103. Because the client device 106 already has dataassociated with location-based service zones 100 included in the activezone 103, the client device 106 will not have to connect with the atleast computing device 118 while still within the geographic region ofthe active zone 103. In some embodiments, the active zone filterapplication 124 may determine that that the subset of location-basedservice zones 100 need to be updated in response to detecting that theclient device 106 has exited a particular location-based service zone100, thereby changing the device location 127 of the client device 106.

In some embodiments, the active zone filter application 124 may detectthat the client device 106 has exited the active zone 103 and mayrequest an updated active zone 103 from the active zone managementsystem 115. For example, the active zone filter application 124 maydetect that the client device 106 has exited the active zone 103 inresponse to detecting that the client device 106 has exited a particularlocation-based service zone 100 that may border the geographicboundaries of the active zone 103.

In the following discussion, a general description of the system and itscomponents is provided, followed by a discussion of the operation of thesame.

With reference to FIG. 2, shown is a networked environment 200 accordingto various embodiments. The networked environment 200 includes acomputing environment 203 and a client device 106 which are in datacommunication with each other via a network 121. The network 121includes, for example, the Internet, intranets, extranets, wide areanetworks (WANs), local area networks (LANs), wired networks, wirelessnetworks, cable networks, satellite networks, or other suitablenetworks, etc., or any combination of two or more such networks.

The computing environment 203 may comprise, for example, a servercomputer or any other system providing computing capability.Alternatively, the computing environment 203 may employ a plurality ofcomputing devices that may be arranged, for example, in one or moreserver banks or computer banks or other arrangements. Such computingdevices may be located in a single installation or may be distributedamong many different geographical locations. For example, the computingenvironment 203 may include a plurality of computing devices thattogether may comprise a hosted computing resource, a grid computingresource, and/or any other distributed computing arrangement. In somecases, the computing environment 203 may correspond to an elasticcomputing resource where the allotted capacity of processing, network,storage, or other computing-related resources may vary over time.

Various applications and/or other functionality may be executed in thecomputing environment 203 according to various embodiments. Also,various data is stored in a data store 206 that is accessible to thecomputing environment 203. The data store 206 may be representative of aplurality of data stores 206 as can be appreciated. The data stored inthe data store 206, for example, is associated with the operation of thevarious applications and/or functional entities described below.

The components executed on the computing environment 203, for example,include an active zone management system 115, and other applications,services, processes, systems, engines, or functionality not discussed indetail herein. The active zone management system 115 is executed tocreate active zones 103 for a particular computing device. An activezone 103 is a dynamically sized geographic area that contains acomprehensive set of location-based service zones 100 that are selectedwith respect to a particular client device 106 and/or user account. Insome embodiments, the active zone management system 115 can create anddynamically size an active zone 103 to include location-based servicezones 100 that are specific to a particular client device 106 and clientdevice limitations. The active zone management system 115 can identifylocation-based service zones 100 within the created active zone 103. Theactive zone management system 115 can be configured to update and modifythe active zones 100 based at least in part on a change in client devicelocation, time restrictions associated with the location-based servicezones 100, additions of location-based service zones 100, removal oflocation-based service zones 100, change in location-based service zoneparameters, and/or any other factor as can be appreciated.

The data stored in the data store 206 includes, for example, device data209, provider data 212, aggregate interaction data 215, and potentiallyother data. The device data 209 includes data associated with differentclient devices 106. The device data 209 may include user accountinformation 218, location data 221, active zone(s) 103, and/or any otherdata associated with a client device 106.

The user account information 218 may comprise information related to oneor more user accounts associated with the client device 106. Forexample, the user account information 218 may include a username, afirst and last name, and/or other identify information. The locationdata 221 represents a geographic location of the client device 106. Thelocation data 221 may be determined according to geographic coordinatesprovided to the computing environment 203 from the client device 106. Inother embodiments, the location data 221 may be determined according torecently triggered and/or broken location-based service zones 100 by theclient device 106. For example, when a client device 106 enters and/orexits a particular location-based service zone 100, the client device106 may be configured to send a trigger event notification 227 to thecomputing environment 203. As such, the location data 221 can bedetermined according to the geographic parameters of the triggeredlocation-based service zone 100.

The active zone(s) 103 may include parameters for the active zones 103for the particular client device 106 that contain the comprehensive setof location-based service zones 100 specifically selected for theparticular device 106 in view of the device limitations, whether aservice associated with a location-based service zone 100 isuser-targeted (e.g., a single user) or broadly targeted (e.g., multipleusers), an active status of a particular location-based service zones100, an opt-in status by the client device 106 for the respectiveservice, and/or any other factor as can be appreciated.

The provider data 212 includes data associated with the providers of thelocation-based service zones 100. The provider data 212 includesgeofence(s) 109, beacon(s) 112, and/or any other data associated withthe providers. The geofence 109 represents the virtual geographicboundaries related to the services of the provider. The geofence 109includes geofence parameters 230 and/or any other type of dataassociated with the geofence 109. The geofence parameters 230 mayinclude one or more coordinates associated with the geographic location,a radius of the interior area, perimeter specifications for non-circularareas, messages to be presented to the user of a client device 106 one aclient device is within the boundary (e.g., “Sale at XYZ Store. Stop inand receive 50% off one item.”), an active time, an active date, aunique token identifier, and/or other parameters associated with thegeofence 109.

The beacon(s) 112 represent the devices configured to broadcast wirelesssignals. The beacon(s) 112 include beacon parameters 233 that includethe beacon identifier that a client device 106 can use to access thewireless signal broadcasted from the beacon 112 when the client device106 is within the range to receive the broadcasted signal.

The aggregate interaction data 215 includes data associated with theinteraction history of multiple users. For example, as location-basedservice zones 100 are triggered, the active zone management system 115and/or other application executed within the computing environment 203may log user interaction associated with each of the triggers. However,while a user may trigger a particular location-based service zone 100,the user may not interact with the services associated with thelocation-based service zone 100 (e.g., purchase product). The aggregateinteraction data 215 may include data associated with multiple users andmay be used to determine a probability that a user may interact with aparticular location-based service zone 100. For example, if that thereare two different location-based service zones 100 in a particulargeographic area, the aggregate interaction data 215 may indicate thatmore users interact with the location-based service zone 100 associatedwith service A than interact with the location-based service zone 100associated with service B. In some embodiments, the aggregateinteraction data 215 may be included with the active zone data 117provided to the client device 106. The client device 106 can use theaggregate interaction data 215 as a factor in selecting a subset oflocation-based service zones 100 to monitor from an active zone 103.

The client device 106 is representative of a plurality of client devicesthat may be coupled to the network 121. The client device 106 maycomprise, for example, a processor-based system such as a computersystem. Such a computer system may be embodied in the form of a desktopcomputer, a laptop computer, personal digital assistants, cellulartelephones, smartphones, set-top boxes, music players, web pads, tabletcomputer systems, game consoles, electronic book readers, smartwatches,head mounted displays, voice interface devices, or other devices. Theclient device 106 may include a display 236. The display 236 maycomprise, for example, one or more devices such as liquid crystaldisplay (LCD) displays, gas plasma-based flat panel displays, organiclight emitting diode (OLED) displays, electrophoretic ink (E ink)displays, LCD projectors, or other types of display devices, etc.

The client device 106 may be configured to execute various applicationssuch as an active zone filter application 124, a client application 239,and/or other applications. The client application 239 may be executed ina client device 106, for example, to access network content served up bythe computing environment 203 and/or other servers, thereby rendering auser interface 241 on the display 236. To this end, the clientapplication 239 may comprise, for example, a browser, a dedicatedapplication, etc., and the user interface 241 may comprise a networkpage, an application screen, etc. The client device 106 may beconfigured to execute applications beyond the client application 239such as, for example, email applications, social networkingapplications, word processors, spreadsheets, and/or other applications.

The active zone filter application 124 is executed to select a subset oflocation-based service zones 100 included in an active zone 103 receivedfrom the active zone management system 115 according to variousembodiments of the present disclosure. Some geographic regions maycontain a dense amount of location-based service zones 100. When theactive zone filter application 124 receives an active zone 103containing more location-based service zones 100 than are supported bythe client device 106, the active zone filter application 124 may selecta subset of location-based service zones 100 included in the receivedactive zone 103 according to a variety of factors such as, for example,current location of the client device 106, recently brokenlocation-based service zones 100 by the client device 106, device speed,device direction, user history, aggregate user history, and/or any otherfactor as can be appreciated. In some embodiments, the active zonefilter application 124 may assign a score to each of the location-basedservice zones 100 included in the received active zone 103 based atleast in part on the above factors and filtering rules 251. Thelocation-based service zones 100 can be ranked and the highest rankedlocation-based service zones 100 within the device-supported thresholdcan be included in the subset of location-based service zones 100 to bemonitored. The active zone filter application 100 may also determinewhen to update the subset of location-based service zones 100 and/orrequest a new active zone 103 from the active zone management system115.

The client device 106 may store various data in a local data store 243.The data stored in the location data store 243 may comprise for example,monitoring data 246, active zone data 117, interaction history 249,filtering rules 251, location data 221, client support data 254, and/orother data. The monitoring data 246 includes data associated with thesubset of location-based service zones 100 within an active zone 103that are being monitored at a particular instance. The monitoring data246 includes the subset data 253, which can include one or morecoordinates associated with the geographic location, a radius of theinterior area, perimeter specifications for non-circular areas, messagesto be presented to the user of a client device 106 when a client device106 is within the boundary (e.g., “Sale at XYZ Store. Stop in andreceive 50% off one item.”), an active time, an active date, a uniquetoken identifier, a beacon identifier that a client device 106 can useto access the wireless signal broadcasted from the beacon 112 when theclient device 106 is within the range to receive the broadcasted signal,and/or any other parameter data associated with the selected subset oflocation-based service zones 100 within an active zone 103.

The active zone data 117 includes the data associated with an activezone 103 created for the client device 106 and by the active zonemanagement system 115. The active zone data 117 may include geographicparameters defining the geographic region of the active zone 103,location-based service zones 100, aggregate interaction data 215, and/orany other type of data that can be appreciated. The location-basedservice zones 100 may comprise the geofence parameters 230 and/or beaconparameters 233 for the location-based service zones 100 that wereincluded in the active zone 103 created by the active zone managementsystem 115.

The interaction history 249 includes data associated with prior triggersand interactions with location-based service zones 100. For example, theinteraction history 249 may include data related to whether or not auser had an interaction with a service upon entering and/or exiting aparticular location-based service zone 100; for example, when alocation-based service zone 100 was associated with a particular store.If the user associated with the client device 106 purchased an item atthe store, the interaction history 249 would indicate the purchase ofthe item with respect to the location-based service zone 100.

Likewise, if the user did not purchase an item at the store, theinteraction history 249 may indicate the lack of the purchase at thestore. The interaction history 249 may be used by the active zone filterapplication 124 in determining the subset of location-based servicezones 100 within the received active zone 103 to monitor. In someembodiments, the interaction history 249 may include informationpertaining to previously broken location-based service zones (e.g.,exiting or entering a geofence parameter, no longer within distance toreceive broadcasted beacon signal, etc.). This information can be usedto estimate the direction, speed, and/or location of the client deviceat a given time.

The filtering rules 251 comprise rules associated with selecting thesubset of location-based service zones 100. In some embodiments, thefiltering rules 251 may comprise algorithms such as a ranking algorithm,for example, for determining a priority of the location-based servicezones 100 within the active zone 103. For example, the filtering rules251 may comprise weights to assign for various features associated witheach location-based service zone 100. Based on the assigned weights, thelocation-based service zones 100 that are identified within a createdactive zone 103 may be ranked and the highest ranked location-basedservice zones 100 that are within the maximum threshold supported by theclient device 106 may be selected for the subsets.

In one embodiment, the filtering rules 251 may include weights to assignaccording to a level of probability of interaction. For example, if afirst location-based service zone 100 has a higher probability ofresulting in a user interaction over a second location-based servicezone 100 according to the interaction history 249 and/or the aggregateinteraction data 215, the first location-based service zone 100 may beassigned a weight that is higher than a weight assigned to the secondlocation-based service zone 100. The filtering rules 251 may furthercomprise rules that can be applied to determine a distance threshold forconsidering a particular location-based service zone 100. For example,the filtering rules 251 may indicate a particular distance thresholdthat a location-based service zone 100 must meet in relation to theclient device location in order to be considered for inclusion in thesubset.

The location data 221 corresponds to the location of the client device106 at a particular instance. For example, the location data 221 maycomprise geographic coordinates of the client device 106. In otherembodiments, the location data 221 may comprise an estimated locationbased at least in part on recently triggered and/or brokenlocation-based service zones 100. For example, if the client device 106exited a particular location-based service zone 100, the location data221 can be estimated according to the geographic parameters of theparticular location-based service zone 100.

The device support data 254 includes a quantity of location-basedservice zones 100 supported by the client device 106, and/or otherfeatures supported by the device. The client device limitations may beimposed by the client device in order to optimize power usage, memoryusage, and/or processor usage of the client device 106.

Referring now to FIG. 3, shown is a flowchart that provides one exampleof the operation of a portion of the active zone filter application 124according to various embodiments. It is understood that the flowchart ofFIG. 3 provides merely an example of the many different types offunctional arrangements that may be employed to implement the operationof the portion of the active zone filter application 124 as describedherein. As an alternative, the flowchart of FIG. 3 may be viewed asdepicting an example of elements of a method implemented in the clientdevice 106 (FIG. 1) according to one or more embodiments.

FIG. 3 provides a non-limiting example of the functionality that may beperformed by the active zone filter application 124 with respect toselecting a subset of location-based service zones 100 (FIG. 2) withinan active zone 103 (FIG. 1) according to various embodiments of thepresent disclosure.

Beginning with box 303, the active zone filter application 124 receivesactive zone data 117 (FIG. 1) from the computing device 118 (FIG. 1).The active zone data 117 includes the data associated with an activezone 103 (FIG. 1) created for the client device 106 and by the activezone management system 115 (FIG. 1). The active zone data 117 mayinclude geofence parameters 230 (FIG. 2), beacon parameters 233 (FIG.2), aggregate interaction data 215, and/or any other type of data thatcan be appreciated. In some embodiments, the active zone data 117 isreceived in response to a request for an active zone 103 by the clientdevice 106. In other embodiments, the active zone data 117 is receivedwithout a request for the active zone 103. For example, the computingdevice 118 may be configured to detect when the client device 106 hasexited a previously created active zone 103. Upon detection of theclient device 106 exiting the previously created active zone 103, theactive zone management system 115 creates a new active zone 103 andprovides the active zone data 117 to the client device 106.

In box 306, the active zone filter application 124 determines whether anumber of location-based service zones 100 included in the active zonedata 117 meets or exceeds a predefined threshold. In some embodiments,the predefined threshold is defined according to device limitationsassociated with the client device 106. For example, client device A maybe able to support twenty (20) location-based service zones and clientdevice B may be able to support one-hundred (100) location-based servicezones 100. The client device limitations may be imposed by the clientdevice 106 in order to optimize power usage, memory usage, and/orprocessor usage of the client device 106. If the number oflocation-based service zones 100 is within the predefined threshold, theactive zone filter application 124 proceeds to box 309. In box 309, theactive zone filter application 124 initiates the monitoring of thelocation-based service zones 100 within the active zone 103 by theclient device 106.

If the number of location-based service zones 100 exceeds the predefinedthreshold, the active zone filter application 124 proceeds to box 312.In box 312, the active zone filter application 124 selects a subset oflocation-based service zones 100 within the active zone 103 to monitor.In some embodiments, the client device 106 may apply a set of filteringrules 251, analyze the different location-based service zones 100 withinthe active zone 103, and select a subset of the location-based servicezones 100 based on factors such as, for example, current location of theclient device 106, location-based service zones 100 recently enteredinto and/or exited by the client device 106, device speed, devicedirection, user history, aggregate user history, and/or any other factoras can be appreciated.

In some embodiments, the active zone filter application 124 maydetermine a client device location 127 according to a brokenlocation-based service zone 100 that the client device 106 had beenmonitoring. By knowing the geographic parameters associated with thebroken location-based service zone 100, the client device location 127can be estimated. In some embodiments, the active zone filterapplication 124 may select the subset of location-based service zones100 according to a predefined distance from the estimated client devicelocation 127. For example, any location-based service zones 100 that arewithin fifty (50) yards (yds) from the client device location 127 may beselected for inclusion in the subset of location-based service zones100.

In some embodiments, the active zone filter application 124 appliesfiltering rules 251 to select the subset of location-based service zones100. For example, the filtering rules 251 may comprise algorithms suchas a ranking algorithm, for example, to determine a priority of thelocation-based service zones 100 within the active zone 103. In someembodiments, the filtering rules 251 may comprise weights to assign forvarious features associated with each location-based service zone 100.Based on the assigned weights, the location-based service zones 100 thatare identified within a created active zone 103 may be ranked, and thehighest ranked location-based service zones 100 that are within themaximum threshold supported by the client device 106 may be selected forthe subset. In another non-limiting example, the filtering rules 251 mayindicate types of location-based service zones 100 that are not to bemonitored. For example, the filtering rules 251 may indicate that anytypes of location-based service zones 100 that relate to coffee shopsare to be removed from consideration.

In other embodiments, the active zone filter application 124 may analyzeaggregate interaction data 215 and select the subset of location-basedservice zones 100 according to the aggregate interaction data 215. Forexample, the aggregate interaction data 215 can be used to determine aprobability that user will have an interaction with a particularlocation-based service zone 100 based on the interaction data ofmultiple users.

In some embodiments, the active zone filter application 124 maydetermine the speed and/or the direction of the client device 106. Thisinformation may be used to determine a course associated with the clientdevice 106. As such, the subset of location-based service zones 100 maybe selected according to the course associated with the client device106.

After selecting the subset of location-based service zones 100, theactive zone filter application 124 proceeds to box 315. In box 315, theactive zone filter application 124 initiates monitoring of the subset oflocation-based service zones 100 from the active zone 103. Uponinitiating the monitoring of the location-based service zones 100, thisportion of the active zone filter application 124 ends.

Turning now to FIG. 4, shown is a flowchart that provides one example ofthe operation of a portion of the active zone filter application 124according to various embodiments. It is understood that the flowchart ofFIG. 4 provides merely an example of the many different types offunctional arrangements that may be employed to implement the operationof the portion of the active zone filter application 124 as describedherein. As an alternative, the flowchart of FIG. 4 may be viewed asdepicting an example of elements of a method implemented in the clientdevice 106 (FIG. 1) according to one or more embodiments.

FIG. 4 provides a non-limiting example of the functionality that may beperformed by the active zone filter application 124 with respect toprioritizing location-based service zones 100 (FIG. 1) to include in theactive zone 103 (FIG. 1) when the quantity of location-based servicezones 100 originally identified in the active zone 103 received from thecomputing device 118 (FIG. 1) exceeds the maximum threshold that theclient device 106 can support according to various embodiments of thepresent disclosure.

Beginning with box 403, the active zone filter application 124identifies a location-based service zone 100 included within the activezone 103 received from the computing device 118. At box 406, the activezone filter application 124 analyzes the location-based service zone 100and assigns a score to the location-based service zone 100 according toone or more factors. The one or more factors may include a type ofservice associated with the location-based service (e.g., retail,delivery, etc.), a distance between the location-based service zone 100and a client device location 127, a probability that a user interactionwill occur based in part on user interaction history 249 and/oraggregate interaction data 215, broken location-based service zones 100,client device direction, client device speed, and/or any other factor ascan be appreciated.

In some embodiments, the score is determined according to weightsdefined in the filtering rules 251. For example, each factor may begiven a particular weight, and the score for the location-based servicezone 100 is based on a sum of weights assigned to each analyzed factor.In one non-limiting example, the location-based service zone A receivesa weight of “1” for being within a predefined distance of the clientdevice location 127 while location-based service zone B receives aweight of “0” for being outside a predefined distance of the clientdevice location 127. Further, assume that the probability of a userinteraction with location-based service zone B is greater than theprobability of user interaction with location-based service zone A, andthat the weight assigned to location-based service zone B for theprobability of user interaction is “5” while the weight assigned tolocation-based service zone A for the probability of user interaction is“2.” In this example, the score assigned to location-based service zoneA may be “3” while the score for location-based service zone B may be“5.”

In box 409, the active zone filter application 124 determines whetherthere are other location-based service zones 100 identified in theactive zone 103 that have not been analyzed and/or given a score. Ifthere are other location-based service zones 100, the active zone filterapplication 124 returns to box 403. Otherwise, the active zone filterapplication 124 proceeds to box 412. In box 412, the active zone filterapplication 124 ranks the location-based service zones 100 according toeach respective score. In box 415, the highest ranked location-basedservice zones 100 within the supported threshold of location-basedservice zones 100 are selected to be included in the subset oflocation-based service zones 100 for monitoring by the client device106. Upon selecting the subset of location-based service zones 100 formonitoring, this portion of the active zone filter application 124 ends.

Referring next to FIG. 5, shown is a flowchart that provides one exampleof the operation of a portion of the active zone filter application 124according to various embodiments. It is understood that the flowchart ofFIG. 5 provides merely an example of the many different types offunctional arrangements that may be employed to implement the operationof the portion of the active zone filter application 124 as describedherein. As an alternative, the flowchart of FIG. 5 may be viewed asdepicting an example of elements of a method implemented in the clientdevice 106 (FIG. 1) according to one or more embodiments.

FIG. 5 provides a non-limiting example of the functionality that may beperformed by the active zone filter application 124 with respect tomodifying the active zones 103 (FIG. 2) and/or location-based servicezones 100 for a particular client device 106 according to variousembodiments of the present disclosure.

Beginning with box 503, the active zone filter application 124determines whether the client device 106 has exited (e.g., broken) amonitored location-based service zone 100. If the client device 106 hasexited a monitored location-based service zone 100, the active zonefilter application 124 proceeds to box 506. Otherwise, the active zonefilter application 124 continues to monitor the location-based servicezones 100 to detect an exit.

In box 506, the active zone filter application 124 estimates a clientdevice location 127. In some embodiments, the active zone filterapplication 124 estimates the client device location 127 based on thegeographic parameters of the broken location-based service zone 100. Forexample, when the location-based service zone 100 is detected as beingbroken in box 503, the active zone filter application 124 can determinethe geographic parameters defining the broken location-based servicezone 100 and use the geographic parameters as an estimate of the clientdevice location 127. Similarly, if the client device 106 triggers a newlocation-based service zone 100, the active zone filter application 124can estimate a client device location 127 based at least in part on thegeographic parameters of the new location-based service zone 100. Insome embodiments, the client device 106 can access geographiccoordinates of its location, as can be appreciated.

In box 509, the active zone filter application 124 determines whetherthe client device 106 is still within the active zone 103. For example,the active zone data 117 include geographic parameters defining thegeographic boundaries of the active zone 103. If the client devicelocation 127 is outside the defined geographic boundaries of the activezone 103, the active zone filter application 124 proceeds to box 512.Otherwise, the active zone filter application 124 proceeds to box 518.

In box 512, the active zone filter application 124 requests a new activezone 103 from the active zone management system 115 in the computingenvironment 203. In box 515, the active zone filter application 124receives the new active zone 103 via the active zone data 117transmitted over the network 121. In box 518, the active zone filterapplication 124 selects a new subset of location-based service zones100. The new subset of location-based service zones 100 can be based atleast in part on based on factors such as, for example, current locationof the client device 106, location-based service zones 100 recentlyentered into and/or exited by the client device 106, device speed,device direction, user history, aggregate user history, and/or any otherfactor as can be appreciated. In box 521, the active zone filterapplication 124 initiates the monitoring of the location-based servicezones 100 in the newly selected subset by the client device 106. Oncethe client device 106 begins monitoring the new subset of location-basedservice zones 100, this portion of the active zone filter application124 ends.

With reference to FIG. 6, shown is a schematic block diagram of thecomputing environment 203 according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure. The computing environment 203 includes one or more computingdevices 118. Each computing device 118 includes at least one processorcircuit, for example, having a processor 603 and a memory 606, both ofwhich are coupled to a local interface 609. To this end, each computingdevice 118 may comprise, for example, at least one server computer orlike device. The local interface 609 may comprise, for example, a databus with an accompanying address/control bus or other bus structure ascan be appreciated.

Stored in the memory 606 are both data and several components that areexecutable by the processor 603. In particular, stored in the memory 606and executable by the processor 603 are the active zone managementsystem 115, and potentially other applications. Also stored in thememory 606 may be a data store 206 and other data. In addition, anoperating system may be stored in the memory 606 and executable by theprocessor 603.

With reference to FIG. 7, shown is a schematic block diagram of theclient device 106 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.The client device 106 includes at least one processor circuit, forexample, having a processor 703, a memory 706, and a display 236, all ofwhich are coupled to a local interface 709. The local interface 709 maycomprise, for example, a data bus with an accompanying address/controlbus or other bus structure as can be appreciated.

Stored in the memory 706 are both data and several components that areexecutable by the processor 703. In particular, stored in the memory 706and executable by the processor 703 are the active zone filterapplication 124, the client application 239, and potentially otherapplications. Also stored in the memory 706 may be a local data store243 and other data. In addition, an operating system may be stored inthe memory 706 and executable by the processor 703.

Referring next to both FIGS. 6 and 7, it is understood that there may beother applications that are stored in the memory 606, 706 and areexecutable by the processor 603, 703 as can be appreciated. Where anycomponent discussed herein is implemented in the form of software, anyone of a number of programming languages may be employed such as, forexample, C, C++, C#, Objective C, Java®, JavaScript®, Perl, PHP, VisualBasic®, Python®, Ruby, Flash®, or other programming languages.

A number of software components are stored in the memory 606, 706 andare executable by the processor 603, 703. In this respect, the term“executable” means a program file that is in a form that can ultimatelybe run by the processor 603, 703. Examples of executable programs maybe, for example, a compiled program that can be translated into machinecode in a format that can be loaded into a random access portion of thememory 606, 706 and run by the processor 603, 703, source code that maybe expressed in proper format such as object code that is capable ofbeing loaded into a random access portion of the memory 606, 706 andexecuted by the processor 603, 703, or source code that may beinterpreted by another executable program to generate instructions in arandom access portion of the memory 606, 706 to be executed by theprocessor 603, 703, etc. An executable program may be stored in anyportion or component of the memory 606, 706 including, for example,random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), hard drive,solid-state drive, USB flash drive, memory card, optical disc such ascompact disc (CD) or digital versatile disc (DVD), floppy disk, magnetictape, or other memory components.

The memory 606, 706 is defined herein as including both volatile andnonvolatile memory and data storage components. Volatile components arethose that do not retain data values upon loss of power. Nonvolatilecomponents are those that retain data upon a loss of power. Thus, thememory 606, 706 may comprise, for example, random access memory (RAM),read-only memory (ROM), hard disk drives, solid-state drives, USB flashdrives, memory cards accessed via a memory card reader, floppy disksaccessed via an associated floppy disk drive, optical discs accessed viaan optical disc drive, magnetic tapes accessed via an appropriate tapedrive, and/or other memory components, or a combination of any two ormore of these memory components. In addition, the RAM may comprise, forexample, static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random accessmemory (DRAM), or magnetic random access memory (MRAM) and other suchdevices. The ROM may comprise, for example, a programmable read-onlymemory (PROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), anelectrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), or otherlike memory device.

Also, the processor 603, 703 may represent multiple processors 603, 703and/or multiple processor cores and the memory 606, 706 may representmultiple memories 606, 706 that operate in parallel processing circuits,respectively. In such a case, the local interface 609, 709 may be anappropriate network that facilitates communication between any two ofthe multiple processors 603, 703, between any processor 603, 703 and anyof the memories 606, 706, or between any two of the memories 606, 706,etc. The local interface 609, 709 may comprise additional systemsdesigned to coordinate this communication, including, for example,performing load balancing. The processor 603, 703 may be of electricalor of some other available construction.

Although the active zone management system 115, the active zone filterapplication 124, and other various systems described herein may beembodied in software or code executed by general purpose hardware asdiscussed above, as an alternative the same may also be embodied indedicated hardware or a combination of software/general purpose hardwareand dedicated hardware. If embodied in dedicated hardware, each can beimplemented as a circuit or state machine that employs any one of or acombination of a number of technologies. These technologies may include,but are not limited to, discrete logic circuits having logic gates forimplementing various logic functions upon an application of one or moredata signals, application specific integrated circuits (ASICs) havingappropriate logic gates, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), orother components, etc. Such technologies are generally well known bythose skilled in the art and, consequently, are not described in detailherein.

The flowcharts of FIGS. 3-5 show the functionality and operation of animplementation of portions of the active zone filter application 124. Ifembodied in software, each block may represent a module, segment, orportion of code that comprises program instructions to implement thespecified logical function(s). The program instructions may be embodiedin the form of source code that comprises human-readable statementswritten in a programming language or machine code that comprisesnumerical instructions recognizable by a suitable execution system suchas a processor 703 in a computer system or other system. The machinecode may be converted from the source code, etc. If embodied inhardware, each block may represent a circuit or a number ofinterconnected circuits to implement the specified logical function(s).

Although the flowcharts of FIGS. 3-5 show a specific order of execution,it is understood that the order of execution may differ from that whichis depicted. For example, the order of execution of two or more blocksmay be scrambled relative to the order shown. Also, two or more blocksshown in succession in FIGS. 3-5 may be executed concurrently or withpartial concurrence. Further, in some embodiments, one or more of theblocks shown in FIGS. 3-5 may be skipped or omitted. In addition, anynumber of counters, state variables, warning semaphores, or messagesmight be added to the logical flow described herein, for purposes ofenhanced utility, accounting, performance measurement, or providingtroubleshooting aids, etc. It is understood that all such variations arewithin the scope of the present disclosure.

Also, any logic or application described herein, including the activezone management system 115 and the active zone filter application 124that comprises software or code can be embodied in any non-transitorycomputer-readable medium for use by or in connection with an instructionexecution system such as, for example, a processor 603, 703 in acomputer system or other system. In this sense, the logic may comprise,for example, statements including instructions and declarations that canbe fetched from the computer-readable medium and executed by theinstruction execution system. In the context of the present disclosure,a “computer-readable medium” can be any medium that can contain, store,or maintain the logic or application described herein for use by or inconnection with the instruction execution system.

The computer-readable medium can comprise any one of many physical mediasuch as, for example, magnetic, optical, or semiconductor media. Morespecific examples of a suitable computer-readable medium would include,but are not limited to, magnetic tapes, magnetic floppy diskettes,magnetic hard drives, memory cards, solid-state drives, USB flashdrives, or optical discs. Also, the computer-readable medium may be arandom access memory (RAM) including, for example, static random accessmemory (SRAM) and dynamic random access memory (DRAM), or magneticrandom access memory (MRAM). In addition, the computer-readable mediummay be a read-only memory (ROM), a programmable read-only memory (PROM),an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), an electricallyerasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), or other type of memorydevice.

Further, any logic or application described herein, including the activezone management system 115 and the active zone filter application 124may be implemented and structured in a variety of ways. For example, oneor more applications described may be implemented as modules orcomponents of a single application. Further, one or more applicationsdescribed herein may be executed in shared or separate computing devicesor a combination thereof. For example, a plurality of the applicationsdescribed herein may execute in the same computing device 118, or inmultiple computing devices 118 in the same computing environment 203, orin the same client device 106.

Disjunctive language such as the phrase “at least one of X, Y, or Z,”unless specifically stated otherwise, is otherwise understood with thecontext as used in general to present that an item, term, etc., may beeither X, Y, or Z, or any combination thereof (e.g., X, Y, and/or Z).Thus, such disjunctive language is not generally intended to, and shouldnot, imply that certain embodiments require at least one of X, at leastone of Y, or at least one of Z to each be present.

It should be emphasized that the above-described embodiments of thepresent disclosure are merely possible examples of implementations setforth for a clear understanding of the principles of the disclosure.Many variations and modifications may be made to the above-describedembodiment(s) without departing substantially from the spirit andprinciples of the disclosure. All such modifications and variations areintended to be included herein within the scope of this disclosure andprotected by the following claims.

Therefore, the following is claimed:
 1. A system, comprising: a firstcomputing device; and an application executable in the first computingdevice, wherein, when executed, the application causes the firstcomputing device to at least: obtain active zone data from a secondcomputing device, the active zone data including an identification of aplurality of location-based service zones located within a geographicregion, the plurality of location-based service zones being selected forthe first computing device according to a location of the firstcomputing device, and a number of the plurality of location-basedservice zones exceeding a predefined threshold; select a subset of theplurality of location-based service zones according to a respectivescore assigned to individual location-based service zones of theplurality of location-based service zones; and initiate monitoring ofthe subset of the plurality of location-based service zones.
 2. Thesystem of claim 1, wherein the active zone data further comprisesgeographic parameters defining the geographic region surrounding theplurality of location-based service zones.
 3. The system of claim 1,wherein the active zone data further includes aggregate interaction datacorresponding to an interaction history of a plurality of users with theplurality of location-based service zones, the subset of the pluralityof location-based service zones being selected based at least in part onthe aggregate interaction data.
 4. The system of claim 1, wherein, whenexecuted, the application further causes the first computing device toat least: detect an exit of the first computing device from thegeographic region; and in response to detecting the exit, send a requestto the second computing device for updated active zone data, the updatedactive zone data including an identification of a plurality of differentlocation-based service zones located in a different geographic region.5. The system of claim 4, wherein, when executed, the applicationfurther causes the first computing device to at least estimate anupdated location of the first computing device, the request includingthe updated location.
 6. The system of claim 1, wherein, when executed,the application further causes the first computing device to at leastgenerate the respective score for the individual location-based servicezones based at least in part on at least one of a previously-monitoredlocation-based service zone, a speed of the first computing device, adirection of movement of the first computing device, or a userinteraction history.
 7. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality oflocation-based service zones comprise at least one of a geofence or abeacon.
 8. A method, comprising: selecting, via a first computingdevice, a subset of location-based service zones of a first plurality oflocation-based service zones located within an active zone that isdefined by a geographic region; initiating, via the first computingdevice, monitoring of the subset of location-based service zones;detecting, via the first computing device, an exit from the geographicregion based at least in part on a location of the first computingdevice; and sending, via the first computing device, a request to asecond computing device for an updated active zone including a secondplurality of location-based service zones, the request including thelocation of the first computing device, and the second plurality oflocation-based service zones.
 9. The method of claim 8, furthercomprising receiving, via the first computing device, updated activezone data from the second computing device, the updated active zone datacorresponding to the updated active zone, and the updated active zonedata including an identification of the second plurality oflocation-based service zones.
 10. The method of claim 9, wherein anumber of the second plurality of location-based service zones exceeds aclient-supported threshold.
 11. The method of claim 8, furthercomprising receiving, via the first computing device, active zone dataincluding an identification of the first plurality of location-basedservice zones located within the active zone that is defined by thegeographic region.
 12. The method of claim 8, wherein the subset oflocation-based service zones are selected based at least in part on apreviously-monitored location-based service zone, a speed of the firstcomputing device, a direction of movement of the first computing device,a user interaction history, or an aggregate user interaction history.13. The method of claim 8, further comprising: detecting, via the firstcomputing device, an exit from a specific location-based service zone inthe subset of location-based service zones; determining, via the firstcomputing device, that the first computing device is located within thegeographic region; and initiating, via the first computing device,monitoring of another subset of location-based service zones of thefirst plurality of location-based service zones.
 14. The method of claim8, wherein the first plurality of location-based service zones and thesecond plurality of location-based service zones comprise at least oneof a geofence or a beacon.
 15. The method of claim 8, furthercomprising: detecting, via the first computing device, an interactionwith a particular location-based service zone within the subset oflocation-based service zones being monitored; and modifying, via thefirst computing device, a user interaction history in response todetecting the interaction with the particular location-based servicezone.
 16. A system, comprising: a client device; and an applicationexecutable in the client device, wherein, when executed, the applicationcauses the client device to at least: receive active zone data includingan identification of a plurality of location-based service zonesincluded within an active zone that is defined by a geographic region, anumber of location-based service zones exceeding a client-supportedthreshold; initiate monitoring of a first subset of location-basedservice zones of the location-based service zones based at least in parton a first location of the client device; detect an exit of clientdevice from a monitored location-based service zone; estimate a secondlocation of the client device based at least in part on the monitoredlocation-based service zone; and initiate monitoring of a second subsetof location-based service zones of the plurality of location-basedservice zones based at least in part on the second location of theclient device.
 17. The system of claim 16, wherein the second locationof the client device is estimated based at least in part on a previouslyexited location-based service zone, a previously entered location-basedservice zone, a direction of movement of the client device, or a speedof movement of the client device.
 18. The system of claim 16, whereinselecting the first subset of location-based service zones is based atleast in part on at least one of a type of location-based service zone,geographic parameters of a respective location-based service zone, aninteraction history, a course of the client device, or theclient-supported threshold.
 19. The system of claim 16, wherein, whenexecuted, the application further causes the client device to at leastgenerate a respective score for individual location-based service zonesof the plurality of location-based service zones, the first subset oflocation-based service zones being selected according to the respectivescore.
 20. The system of claim 16, wherein, when executed, theapplication further causes the client device to at least: detect an exitof the client device from the geographic region; and send a request foran updated active zone.